Climate Action After Paris – Jim Yong Kim

WASHINGTON, DC – At the United Nations climate conference in Paris, courageous and visionary leaders recognized that people rarely change the world when they work within the constraints of what they think is possible. The world hoped for an agreement, but most of us did not dare to dream of a deal that aspires to limit temperatures to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Paris delivered for the planet and for the poor.
Five important steps must come next.
First, we need to approach development differently. Climate change must be considered in all of our work – from building cleaner cities to producing more food on less land – with a much stronger focus on adapting to changing climate patterns. This means that when we build a road in a country like Mozambique, we are also ensuring that it is resilient to the floods that accompany incessant rains. To this end, the World Bank unveiled a new climate action plan in Paris to help Sub-Saharan Africa in the years ahead.
Second, we need a clean-energy transformation at the speed and scale of the digital revolution. The Paris talks sent a clear signal to markets, public officials, and investors that low-carbon growth is the future. Market forces will drive this agenda forward, and there will be greater potential to invest in renewable energy in developing countries than ever before. Dramatic decreases in the cost of low-carbon technologies also support an ambitious global transition toward renewable energy.

Jim Yong Kim is President of the World Bank Group.

Read more at https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/paris-climate-accord-further-action-by-jim-yong-kim-2015-12#XpLqEsTuddiL81AT.99